PSFK has an interesting posttoday about Google and their attempts to open up the content of Facebook for search.  From their article:

Once Google gets access to Facebook’s archives then we’ll all feel what it’s like to be naked in this digital world…

…We’re still left wondering whether it’s all too late to complain. Technology will overcome all barriers that we put up. We just have to learn to play with it.

The buzz about identity exposure has been heating up.  Most authors are saying the public, especially younger generations, are fine with having their photographs, networks, birthdays and other information open for others to view. Open it up, all up.

But a recent case in Australia shows there may be a openness backlash.  This one involves Flickr and the Creative Commons license many of us choose when uploading our photographs.  From Technollama:

Virgin Mobile Australia has started an advertising campaign called “Are you with us or what?“, which has been collecting images from Flickr released under a CC-BY licence, which allows commercial re-use and modification of the licensed work. The images contain comments which could be construed as being insulting and derogatory. 

For instance, Virgin took this from Flickr:

And turned it into this:

These ads are being posted all over the country - bus shelters, billboards, what have you.  Virgin is effectively turning us into spokespeople for their brand…whether we like it or not.

Frankly, I don’t think anyone considered this when they voted to CC their photographs on Flikr.  For instance, you can find my shots of Guadalupe National Park here, and I’m fine if Billy wants to put them in his report on the park he needs to submit for 5th period Geography class, but if Chevy uses one of my shots for a Yukon spot I’m going to be pissed.  That’s the consensus in online forums throughout Australia. 

Are we going to see a slowdown of content submitted with CC licensing?  Will the doors start to close when a person has access to my entire network on Facebook?  Publicity and privacy have not ironed out their differences.  We are seeing the pendulum swing, and it looks like we may be due for a coarse correction.